Southern Benedictine College
Encyclopedia
Southern Benedictine College was a Catholic
Benedictine
college
located in Cullman, Alabama
, USA. Named Saint Bernard College closed in 1979.
It was established as a junior college
by the Benedictine Society of Alabama as Saint Bernard College in 1929, although it had been conferring Bachelor's degree
s since 1893 as a college preparatory school. Between 1948 and 1953, the Board of Trustees worked on expanding the college to four-year college status; the first class graduated in 1955. Saint Bernard received its accreditation as a senior college the next year from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
and operated until 1979. It severed the secondary educational needs of hundreds of the baby boomer generation. Many college students from the Greater Philadelphia area, New Jersey, Michigan, Georgia, New York found this rurual college ideal for their college experience.
The college preparatory program was disbanded in 1962. Saint Bernard then merged with Cullman College in 1976 and adopted the name of Southern Benedictine College. For a time in the late 1960s their Judo team was nationally ranked against some of the largest universities in the US. The Judo team founder, Larry Ventura, while holding only the rank of Brown Belt encouraged many young students to follow his ideals and love of Kodakan Judo. In the fall of 1967 Robert C. (Bob) Bennett, Brown Belt, replaced founder Ventura as the Head Instructor and Captain of the Judo Team. The golf
team was ranked nationally winning the NAIA Men's Championship in 1971.http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/naia/sports/m-golf/auto_pdf/MGolfChampionshipRecords.pdf In addition, the soccer team gained national ranking in NAIA especially after recruiting Neil O'Donoghue
in 1972 who later went on to play football for Auburn University
and the NFL.
Southern Benedictine officially closed on May 13, 1979.
St. Bernard Preparatory School was reopened in 1984 on the Southern Benedictine campus. It received its accreditation in 1995.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
located in Cullman, Alabama
Cullman, Alabama
Cullman is a city in Cullman County, State of Alabama. Cullman is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham, and about south of Huntsville. According to the U.S...
, USA. Named Saint Bernard College closed in 1979.
It was established as a junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
by the Benedictine Society of Alabama as Saint Bernard College in 1929, although it had been conferring Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s since 1893 as a college preparatory school. Between 1948 and 1953, the Board of Trustees worked on expanding the college to four-year college status; the first class graduated in 1955. Saint Bernard received its accreditation as a senior college the next year from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
and operated until 1979. It severed the secondary educational needs of hundreds of the baby boomer generation. Many college students from the Greater Philadelphia area, New Jersey, Michigan, Georgia, New York found this rurual college ideal for their college experience.
The college preparatory program was disbanded in 1962. Saint Bernard then merged with Cullman College in 1976 and adopted the name of Southern Benedictine College. For a time in the late 1960s their Judo team was nationally ranked against some of the largest universities in the US. The Judo team founder, Larry Ventura, while holding only the rank of Brown Belt encouraged many young students to follow his ideals and love of Kodakan Judo. In the fall of 1967 Robert C. (Bob) Bennett, Brown Belt, replaced founder Ventura as the Head Instructor and Captain of the Judo Team. The golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team was ranked nationally winning the NAIA Men's Championship in 1971.http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/naia/sports/m-golf/auto_pdf/MGolfChampionshipRecords.pdf In addition, the soccer team gained national ranking in NAIA especially after recruiting Neil O'Donoghue
Neil O'Donoghue
Cornelis Joseph Connor Dennis "Neil" O'Donoghue is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League ....
in 1972 who later went on to play football for Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
and the NFL.
Southern Benedictine officially closed on May 13, 1979.
St. Bernard Preparatory School was reopened in 1984 on the Southern Benedictine campus. It received its accreditation in 1995.